The Next Play: Part One Read online

  “I am so done with men,” she whispered to herself, knowing damn well that she was going to cry like a baby any second now. And she needed to be hidden in a stall in the ladies’ room when it happened.

  Grabbing her stupid sweater up from where he’d tossed it on the floor by the table, she pulled it on inside out and figured that would just have to do. At least her boobs were covered up again, and she was no longer flashing her muffin-top at them. Then she shoved her laptop in her bag, clutched it against her chest like a shield, and stormed toward the door, wondering if she was going to have to fight her way past a now frowning Lucas Bennett.

  “Lucas,” Jonah grunted, and she had a feeling the jackass was about to ask his friend to keep her from leaving.

  “Don’t even think about it,” she seethed, glaring at the tall, handsome blond as she came his way, wondering why the assholes always had to be so ridiculously attractive.

  “Whatever you’re thinking, honey, that isn’t what this was.” Lucas’s deep voice sounded surprisingly apologetic, and she was relieved when he lifted his hands and stepped out of her way.

  Curling her fingers around the handle, Jocelyn wrenched the door open as she shot him a scowl that said Do I really look that stupid to you?

  Then something finally went her way, because she was able to escape before she ever had to see the answer on Lucas’s face.

  CHAPTER THREE

  Jonah winced as Jocelyn slammed the door behind her so hard everyone on the floor had probably heard it. He stared at the closed door with narrowed eyes, the side of his face still stinging, while a sick feeling churned in his gut.

  “Well, that was interesting,” Lucas drawled, his massive arms crossed back over his chest as he propped his shoulder against the wall by the door.

  “Piss off.” Jonah had known the guy since middle school, which meant he knew him well enough to know that any warnings he gave would be ignored, no matter how angrily they were voiced. Lucas never minded his own damn business until he was good and ready. Especially over something as fucked-up as what had just happened with Jocelyn.

  As he recalled the look of humiliation on her pretty face, Jonah felt a wave of guilt crash over him. He’d hoped she would think it was hot when she realized Lucas had come back into the room and settled in to watch the show. And while he’d known she was on the uptight side and quite shy, he hadn’t expected her to be so self-conscious about her body. Christ, didn’t the woman know she was hot as fuck? How could she not know? Was she blind?

  “Seriously, what in the hell was that?” Lucas asked. “Since when are you interested in Jocelyn?”

  “I’m not,” he muttered, pinching the bridge of his nose.

  He looked up again just in time to catch Lucas raising his brows and clearly fighting back a laugh. “Oh yeah? Is this Lie Through Your Fucking Teeth Day then? Did I miss the memo? Because I’m pretty sure the whole point of that was you getting inside her. I mean, you asked her if she wanted your cock, man. Doesn’t really get more straightforward than that.”

  Picking up the chair she’d knocked over, he pushed it back under the table, his jaw clenched so tight he could barely force out his response. “Let it go, Lucas.”

  His head was starting to pound with the mother of all headaches, and recalling the things he’d said to her wasn’t helping. When she’d first gotten caught up in the fugly sweater, he’d only planned on teasing her, hoping to get her to loosen up a bit around him. Then she’d gone and flashed all that creamy, mouthwatering skin at him, and his cock had taken control of his mouth.

  Jesus, he’d even told her that he could smell her hot little pussy and wanted to eat it out. If that wasn’t letting your dick do the talking, he didn’t know what was. And with a woman like Jocelyn, it’d been a bad move.

  Or at least it had been once she’d realized they had an audience, and she wasn’t admitting to being turned on for his ears alone. Before that, he’d almost had her, he knew it. And the loss made him want to put his fucking fist through a wall.

  He needed time to think and sort out some kind of plan, but Lucas was still on a roll. “Bro, you were ready to bend her over the table and nail her until you saw God or something. So don’t tell me it’s nothing. I haven’t seen you that turned on in… Shit, I can’t even think of a time.”

  Shoving a hand back through his hair, he slid Lucas a frustrated glare. “She just… I don’t know how to explain it.”

  The jackass shot a knowing look at his crotch, then lifted his brows again. “Makes your dick hard?”

  “I said I don’t know,” he snarled. “So drop it.”

  “Wait a minute,” Lucas said, straightening away from the wall, his expression shifting from curious to amazed. “What the hell, Jonah? Do you actually like her?”

  “Fuck no! I don’t even know her.”

  Lucas rubbed his bearded jaw as he headed back over to the table. When he’d lowered his tall body back down in his chair, he sprawled back and laced his fingers together over his stomach. “All I’m gonna say is be careful, because playing at work isn’t something we do. It might have worked out for Gabe, but that’s because he was in love with Den. In any other case, the risks are too damn high. And in case you missed the vibe, that seriously didn’t go the way you’d planned.”

  “It was kinda hard to miss,” he muttered sourly.

  Lucas’s lips twitched. “But you don’t really give a shit, do you? Yeah, I don’t see you walking away from this before you’ve gotten whatever it is you want out of her.”

  He opened his mouth to argue, then shut it when he couldn’t think of a single thing to say. Because the jackass was right. He wasn’t ready to forget about this and let her go back to pretending he didn’t even exist.

  Fuck that!

  “Well, it should be entertaining to watch,” Lucas drawled. “Just don’t blame me for not giving you good advice when you find yourself presented with a juicy harassment case that you won’t have a chance in hell of winning.”

  “Did I just hear the words harassment case?” Gabe asked, stepping into the room as he opened the door.

  “We’re not there yet,” Lucas murmured. “But our boy here just had a little run-in with the lovely Miss Brenna.”

  Gabe’s dark brows rose with interest. “You were fighting with Jace?”

  Before Jonah could respond, Denny came in behind Gabe, carrying a fresh cup of coffee. “Who was fighting with Jace?” she asked with a frown.

  “Pretty boy over there,” Lucas rumbled with a smile, jerking his chin toward Jonah. The guy was clearly enjoying throwing him under the bus, seeing as how it was Lucas who was usually getting into trouble with Denny.

  At Lucas’s words, Denny slid Jonah a disappointed look that made him feel like shit, since he hated letting her down. She was a beautiful woman, with her long brown hair, big brown eyes, and mouthwatering curves, and he’d thoroughly enjoyed every second that he’d spent pleasuring her. And Gabe was completely obsessed, devoted, and in love with her. But as stunning as she was, it was the person she was on the inside that made Denny so incredible. She was warm and kind and caring, and had taken all of them under her wing, determined they find the same happiness that she and Gabe had found, even though he and the other guys knew there was a slim chance of it ever happening. Miracles were rare enough on their own, and they sure as hell didn’t strike five times in the same place.

  Clearing his throat, Jonah figured the smartest course of action would be a quick subject change. Maybe he should bring up her and Gabe’s wedding. Or ask if they’d finalized all the plans for the honeymoon yet. But he didn’t even get the first word out before Nic stuck his head through the open doorway, asking if he could borrow Lucas and Gabe for a moment.

  As soon as they’d followed Nic across the hall to his office, Denny propped her hip up on the long conference table and looked him right in the eye. “So what happened?”

  “Just a misunderstanding.”

  She gave him a “Don�
�t screw with me” look, and Jonah found himself offering up a shortened, PG version of events that obviously didn’t shine in his favor, given the way she was frowning again.

  “Don’t look at me like that, beautiful. She was the one who didn’t give me a chance to explain.” He loosened his tie a little more as he sat back down in his chair, stretching out his long legs. “I don’t think I’ve ever known a more frustrating female.”

  With her head cocked a bit to the side, Denny studied his deliberately casual sprawl in the chair. He fought the urge to fidget, feeling as if she were seeing things he’d have rather kept hidden. Then she gave a feminine snort and shook her head. “You know,” she said, taking a sip of her coffee, “most people love being around Jace.”

  “Yeah, well, I’m not one of them,” he muttered, fully aware that he sounded like a dick. But nothing about the way things had gone down that morning sat well with him, and his mood was foul.

  “But you’re attracted to her.” It was a statement of fact, as if she knew damn well just how hot the little blonde got his blood pumping.

  “You’ve seen her, Den. She’s a beautiful woman.”

  “She is,” Denny agreed, without even the slightest shred of jealousy. “She also has a great personality. So what is it about her that riles you so badly?”

  Crossing his arms over his chest, he huffed out a belligerent, “Who knows?”

  “Jonah,” she said in the same kind of long-suffering tone that a mother would use. But he was too irritated to laugh.

  “Fine. She’s just so fucking…uptight,” he grated. “Most times, it’s like she’s afraid to even look at me. And when she does, I swear it’s like she’s looking right through me.”

  Though that had changed today. Christ, she’d been white-hot under his hands and mouth, in a way that hadn’t had a damn thing to do with the heat in the room. It’d been the two of them together, the attraction that burned between them impossible to resist.

  Denny looked down at her mug. “Well, she’s got a pretty complicated life.”

  “Don’t we all,” he murmured, trying to sound uninterested, when what he really wanted was to ply her with a hundred different questions about the sexy little prude. “But it’s not like I can’t handle the situation. It’s just my ego taking a hit.”

  She lifted her head. “Oh, I’m not saying that she doesn’t like you.”

  Jonah narrowed his eyes, desperate to know if Denny was stating an opinion…or another fact. “Is that right?”

  Her lips curved with a knowing smile. “Don’t go getting too cocky. Because I’m also not saying that she does.”

  He scowled, wishing she’d just get to the fucking point.

  “All I’m saying is that you’re a smart guy, Jonah. Take the time to look deeper than you normally do.”

  This time, he was the one doing the head-cocking thing. “I looked deeper with you.”

  Her smile was wry. “I don’t count. And the only reason you did with me was because it was safe.”

  “Safe?”

  Setting her mug down on the table, she said, “My heart already belonged to Gabe and you knew it. Knew you were going to be able to walk away without leaving a part of yourself behind.”

  Just then, Gabe walked back into the room, with Lucas right behind him. Jonah could tell by the look on Gabe’s face that his friend had heard that last comment, but the guy didn’t appear worried or jealous. They might have shared Denny that one incredible night, but it was always about bringing her and Gabe together.

  In fact, if he had to pick a phrase to describe Gabe’s expression at the moment, it would be I’m one lucky son of a bitch. His best friend spent most of his time these days looking thrilled with his life, and after everything Gabe had been through, Jonah didn’t begrudge him a single moment of it.

  “Everything okay with Nic?” he asked, hoping the issue had been work related and not personal.

  “Yeah,” Gabe said, making his way over to his fiancée, the rock on her finger glittering beneath the overhead lights. “He just needed us to look over some amendments on that last Prescott Industries contract before he gives it to Julie.”

  Julie was a vivacious sixty-year-old who had been Nic’s personal assistant and honorary mother since they’d started the company, and everyone loved her. He imagined Jocelyn probably thought she was a riot, but then everyone always did. She was just one of those amazing people who was tough as nails, but always managed to put a smile on the faces of those around her. Hell, she even turned Nic into a puppy dog, when he was more likely to bite the head off of anyone who dared to boss him around the way that Julie did. And because she was so good at her job, she was the only administrative assistant located on the same floor as the five owners—like a sweet, fire-breathing dragon standing guard—while all the others worked on the floor below.

  “We should take him out to dinner to celebrate,” Jonah said to the group, knowing how important the deal had been to Nic.

  Everyone agreed, and then Gabe shared a quick look with Denny, before looking back over at Jonah. “Speaking of important contracts, we stopped by for a reason. I was hoping to catch you and Jocelyn together because I have some news.”

  “Oh yeah?” he murmured, getting a weird feeling in the pit of his stomach. “What’s going on?”

  “It looks like Fillmore is finally ready to do business, and the guys all agree that you’re the best one to handle the deal.”

  “That’s great,” he said, sitting up straighter in his chair. Considering how badly they’d wanted this deal with Fillmore & Sons—they’d been working on it for nearly three years—it was fucking incredible. “But what does it have to do with Jocelyn?”

  Gabe shared another quick look with Denny, before saying, “Well, since you’re going to need a sharp assistant on this one, and Greg’s going out on paternity leave in a few days, Denny and I think Jocelyn should step in for him.”

  “What?” Jonah found himself standing on his feet without any conscious direction from his brain. “You’re gonna have to repeat that, because I must have heard you wrong.”

  “There’s no need to look so shocked. She’ll be the perfect assistant for you.”

  No, Greg was the perfect assistant, because not only did he kick ass at his job, but Jonah had never been out of his mind with the need to screw him. Jocelyn, on the other hand, made him hard even when she was irritating the fuck out of him. There wasn’t a chance in hell he was going to be able to work that closely with her without trying to dig her out from under his skin like a thorn, while she currently thought he was a total bastard. Jesus, the scenario was a nightmare just waiting to happen.

  Either that or a goddamn lawsuit, just like Lucas had said.

  Scrubbing his hands over his face, he muttered, “Fuck me,” then dropped back down in his chair.

  Denny moved away from the table and slid her arm around Gabe’s waist. “Don’t be such a baby, Jonah. This will be good for you.”

  Narrowing his eyes on the couple, he studied the innocent expressions they were both trying to pull off. But he wasn’t buying them for a second. “What in the hell kind of game are you two playing?”

  “No game,” Gabe said smoothly, while Jonah silently cursed. “We just think it’s best for the company if you two figure out how to get along.”

  “You didn’t even know we’d had an argument until you walked into the room!”

  “And you haven’t exactly made it a secret that you have a problem with her,” Gabe shot back, clearly unwilling to back down. Obstinate asshole.

  “You heard Lucas,” he growled, feeling like a cornered rat. “Rather than working things out, it’s more likely that she’ll end up filing a harassment case against us.” If she isn’t already planning on it.

  “Not if you stay in line.”

  He snorted as he shoved a hand back through his hair again, still unused to its shortened length. “Easier said than done.”

  There was surprise in Gabe’s g
ray eyes, and triumph in Denny’s. “You like her that much?” Gabe asked, pressing the point.

  Jonah deliberately smirked like a bastard. “I’d like to fuck her, then be done with her.”

  Like an idiot, Lucas whistled a series of dramatic notes under his breath, while Denny looked at him like he’d just kicked a kitten. “I’m friends with Jace, and I can tell you that she’s more of a relationship kind of girl.”

  Tossing his hands up, he said, “No shit, Den!”

  “You need to do this,” Gabe ground out, his narrowed gaze turning dark with anger. “Learn to work with her now, Jonah, and get it over with.”

  They got trapped in a steely staring contest that could have lasted for hours, but was thankfully cut short when Denny finally started dragging Gabe to the door.

  The moment they were alone, Lucas looked at him and slowly shook his head. “You know what this means, right?”

  “Yeah,” Jonah muttered, bracing his elbows on his spread knees as he dropped his head in his hands. “It means I’m completely fucked.”

  Lucas laughed like a jackass. “I couldn’t have said it better myself.”

  CHAPTER FOUR

  By ten the following morning, Jocelyn was still trying to decide if she’d made a massive mistake by coming into work. She’d slept like crap, and had been tempted to simply call in at six and tell Denny that she was coming down with something awful, like a stomach flu…or even the plague. But she actually felt fine, and she’d already bailed out early the day before because she’d been an emotional wreck, so it seemed the best option was to just pull up her big-girl panties and do her damn job.